CSDR Doctorate Holders
David McKee CSDR Class of 1968 CSDR: 1958–1968 (Class Valedictorian) Key influences at CSDR: American Sign Language (ASL), dedicated teachers and counselors, dormitory life, and the Deaf community. Education B.A. in Psychology, Gallaudet University (1972) M.A. in Special Education, California State University, Northridge (1973) Ph.D. in Special Education and Linguistics, University of Pittsburgh (1987) Professional Career Founded the Deaf Program at San Diego Mesa College and
Aug 104 min read
Library - My Favorite Place
The library is a special place where students from all grade levels conduct research or borrow books for personal enjoyment. From 1972 to 1976, Kevin borrowed one book each week for weekend reading—approximately 150 books in total. He probably borrowed more books than any other student in the school’s history. He also visited the municipal library in Rialto twice a month. After 20 years of service in the Air Force, Dad received a pension and worked as an electrician. Neverth
Aug 74 min read
CSDR’s Formidable Swimmer
Unlike most babies at birth, Barbara Carr entered the new world with two permanent conditions: deafness and cerebral palsy. She learned how to co-exist with them in her daily routine. By virtue of hard work and positive attitude, the two conditions became less and less a challenge for her over the decades. In 1956, Barbara started her K-12 education at the relatively new school for the deaf in Riverside. Her family resided in Pomona which made it necessary for her to live
Jul 264 min read
From Difficult Childhood to Successful Alumnus
Each alumnus, deaf or hearing, has a story of struggles and successes. For this article, I choose to talk about Daniel Briones, ’68, for overcoming the odds stacked against him early in life. His childhood was fraught with problems of different kinds, both at home and in the dorm and school from 1954 to 1968. At 12, Daniel Briones, Jr known as DB stands with his biological father, Daniel, Sr who spent years serving his time at San Quentin State Prison while DB grew up. The
Jul 48 min read
Alumni Years at CSDR and CSDB/F for Education and Employment
In 2002, the alumni employees from all departments met for a group picture near the dining hall. Billy “Rusty Wales, ‘63, broke the glass ceiling with his hiring for employment on campus as the first alumnus in Fall 1967. Alumni employees can be especially valuable to any Deaf school because they understand the unique culture, language, traditions, and experiences of the Deaf community. They inspire the youth of the same ilk to reach their potential. Below are the retired
Jun 1210 min read
The Second Tallest Student Ever at CSDR
Older alumni and retirees remember Edward Dudley, ’71, for his amazing height. His height record will probably stand forever at CSDR. His height was 7’0”. His weight was 300 pounds. Edward arrived at CSDR in 1958 and stayed until his graduation in 1971. He died around 2024. He said he had not grown any taller after he left CSDR, but his weight increased to 350 pounds. At left is Edward Dudley, ’71, with his height of 7’ 0“. At right are his three classmates for height compari
Jun 72 min read
A Fire in the Dorm in the 1960s
In 2026, CSDR has been around for 73 years to serve and educate some 4,000 students altogether. After digging around long-time staff to see if we ever had a fire on campus, the answer is yes. The horse mouth for the affirmation is Thomas Langdale, a dorm counselor. Tom was very hard-of -hearing (from the Deaf perspective) and wore hearing aids to function fairly well in the hearing world. Tom joined the residence hall staff in 1966 and worked for 13 years until 1979 when h
Jun 22 min read
